1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to component interfaces, and more particularly to an interface for coupling a point of deployment (POD) module to a host device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various electronic devices use terminals for receiving data and controlling user access to data. One common use for terminals is in advanced subscription television systems, where each subscriber is provided with a set-top terminal containing electronic equipment connecting the subscriber's television or other electronic equipment with a service provider's television system, such as a cable or satellite system. This provides the subscriber with access to dozens or even hundreds of different programming channels as well as the option to access additional services such as premium channels, pay-per-view programming, video-on-demand programming and the Internet. The set-top terminal processes the signal received from the service provider to deliver selected services to each subscriber.
As service providers offer expanded premium services, companies have offered more sophisticated security techniques to ensure that only subscribers who have paid for the premium services have access to them. One device that has been developed for providing conditional access is a removable, replaceable security point-of-deployment (POD) module that can be installed into the set-top terminal, which acts as a host device. The POD module permits conditional access of restricted services to paying subscribers while providing security against unauthorized signal reception. In one embodiment, the POD module is provided by the service provider to paying subscribers and installed in a host port in the set-top terminal.
As certain applications have led to incorporating functionalities from an integrated terminal into a segregated POD module/host configuration, many of the terminal functions are partitioned between the POD module and the host, leading to inefficient implementation. Any data transfer between the POD module and the host requires conforming with a layered set of protocols, causing relatively slow and inefficient data sharing and forwarding. Further, current systems rigidly delineate and segregate the POD module and host functions, making it difficult to transfer the integrated terminal functions into a segregated POD module/host environment.
There is a need for a more efficient structure that allows a POD module/host structure to function as a unified device.